New Hangar Plans in 2020

French MRO Sabena Technics unveiled its sixth hangar in Bordeaux in January. The 108,000 sq.ft facility has capability for base maintenance and modifications services on a range of aircraft types.

Southwest Airlines opened a new maintenance facility in January at Houston’s William P Hobby International Airport. The 240,000 sq.ft maintenance hangar is the carrier’s largest facility and will house repair services for the Southwest aircraft fleet and allow technicians to simultaneously work indoors on six Boeing 737 aircraft.

FEAM Aero set up its new $19 million widebody MRO facility in Cincinnati. The 103,000 sq.ft facility will repair Boeing 747 cargo aircraft for the likes of DHL and Amazon.

Middle Eastern engine MRO Sanad Aerotech has moved forward with its African expansion plans by signing a cooperation with Ethiopian Airlines to jointly build an MRO center of excellence on the continent. Under the terms of the agreementthe parties will operate a repair shop in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa for auxiliary power units (APU) on Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft.

Aviatic MRO has started work on a largescale facility at Šiauliai International Airport in Lithuania in a move that’ll create up to 1,000 technician jobs. At the hangar, maintenance services will be provided for the Airbus A320, Boeing 737 classic and Boeing 737NG aircraft, including D-checks, management of assets and parking.

Having added new capacity earlier this year, AMES now has the space for a new capability addition: preventive maintenance inspections and associated repairs on fan stator modules for GE90 engines powering Boeing 777 aircraft.

The beginning of the year saw Intrepid Aerospace enter into a lease agreement with the Lee County Port Authority for its Intrepid Aircraft Maintenance division to construct a 340,000 sq.ft MRO and paint facility. When built, the facility will have capacity for up to 11 Boeing 737 aircraft while the paint hangar will be able to accommodate widebody aircraft.

American Airlines announced in early March that it intends to invest $500 million into its base maintenance facility in Tulsa. Among other things, the investment will see the construction of a new widebody hangar and base support building.

Credit: LOTAMS

Poland, home to engine MRO joint ventures such as Xeos and EME Aero along with MRO provider LOTAMS, is projected for $3.1 billion MRO spend from 2021 to 2030.